This CD is Malcolm
Archer’s farewell recording from Wells
Cathedral. Shortly after it was made,
in September 2004, he succeeded John
Scott as Organist of another of Hyperion’s
regular recording venues, St. Paul’s
Cathedral in London. Archer could scarcely
have given us a finer envoi than
this well-chosen and marvellously executed
selection of church music by Herbert
Howells.
One thing that strikes
the listener straightaway is the welcome
juxtaposition of familiar Howells with
some pieces of his that are less often
heard. So, for example, the masterly
evening canticles written for King’s
College, Cambridge rightfully take their
place in the collection but we hear
also the set written for New College,
Oxford just four years later. I’m delighted
too that the fine morning canticles
composed for St. George’s Chapel, Windsor
get a hearing. In fact, this latter
setting only received its European première
recording as recently as February 2003
in the excellent series of discs from
Priory that gave us all Howells’ morning
and evening canticles. Let me say straightaway
that the Wells choir need not fear comparison
with The Collegiate Singers who sing
on the Priory series. Both choirs are
first class. Some listeners may have
a preference for the Wells performances
since these are sung by a choir including
boy trebles and male altos, as Howells
would have expected, whereas the Collegiate
Singers includes women’s voices. Personally,
I thoroughly enjoyed both versions.
This CD is graced by
a perceptive and informative note by
the conductor and biographer of Howells,
Paul Spicer. As Spicer reminds us, Howells
composed much of his church music, and
the canticle settings in particular,
with the acoustical properties of the
church for which each was composed very
much in mind. Thus, the New College
‘Mag and Nunc’ were written with a smaller
acoustic in mind than Howell’s two preceding
services, those composed for King’s
Cambridge and Gloucester Cathedral.
At the risk of making an obvious point,
however, these settings can work perfectly
well in other acoustics, as Malcolm
Archer proves on this very disc.
The notes include a
touching little vignette of Howells,
the perfectionist, visiting St. Albans
Cathedral specifically to soak up the
building and its acoustics before penning
a piece he’d been asked to write for
the choir there. As Howells put it "one
day I, as it were, sneaked into the
Cathedral at St Albans because I hadn’t
been in it for nearly fifty years. And
there I sat hoping that no one would
recognise the chap who was going to
write some music for them and who wanted
to hear the choir, but more than that,
I wanted to hear what it felt like –
the feeling of that room in which something
of mine was going to be sung."
The result, included here, was I
love all beauteous things, a wonderful,
sensuous setting of a poem by Robert
Bridges. This piece demonstrates the
rich, luxuriant chromatic harmonic style
of late Howells. Though it’s not one
of his best-known pieces it strikes
me as being quintessential Howells,
a creation of great beauty. Archer and
his singers do it very well indeed.
Much better known by
far are the Three Carol-Anthems.
I wonder why they are not ordered
in chronological order here, even thought
they are grouped together. No matter.
The performances are most satisfying.
The ubiquitous A Spotless Rose is
given a flowing, easeful performance
and I particularly enjoyed the account
of my own favourite in the set, Here
is the little door. In this lovely
miniature Howells combines the gentle
lyricism that characterises the two
companion settings with some more dramatic
gestures appropriate to Frances Chesterton’s
evocative poem.
Every performance on
this CD is of the highest quality. Let
me single out just a couple more. The
early Salve Regina was written
for R.R. Terry and the choir at Westminster
Cathedral for whom Vaughan Williams
wrote his Mass in G minor. Howells’
chaste setting, like Vaughan Williams’
Mass, is inspired by sixteenth- century
polyphony, and none the worse for that.
Incidentally, though he modestly refrains
from advertising the fact in his note,
it was Paul Spicer who, with the Finzi
Singers, made the first recording of
this piece back in 1991 (Chandos CHAN
9021.) This latest recording is just
as successful.
At the opposite end
of the pole, as it were, is the masterly
A Sequence for St. Michael, with
which the programme opens. As Paul Spicer
says, this is a big piece. It opens
very dramatically indeed and the Wells
choir (and organist, Rupert Gough) project
this passage arrestingly. The central
section is the contemplative heart of
the piece and features a plangent tenor
solo, which is well taken, before the
work unwinds in a lyrical yet strong
ending. It’s a fine work and it receives
a fine performance.
The singing of the
Wells choir gives consistent pleasure.
They are well balanced and blended.
Though they are not afraid to sing out
when called upon to do so they are also
sensitive to softer dynamics. Finally,
and crucially, their diction is excellent.
There are a number of solos in various
pieces and all are well taken by members
of the choir. All this is testimony
to the excellent work done by Malcolm
Archer in his time at Wells. I’m sure
he’ll be missed. Almost all the items
ion the programme feature organ accompaniments
and these are expertly and sensitively
played by the cathedral’s assistant
organist, Rupert Gough. He makes a fine
and telling contribution to the success
of this enterprise. As ever, Hyperion’s
production values are of the highest
order. I’ve already referred to Paul
Spicer’s note, which is a model of its
kind. Full texts are also provided.
Finally, the recorded sound is excellent.
The choir is well reported as is the
organ and the balance between singers
and organ is wholly satisfactory.
In summary, this is
an outstanding disc. It presents a most
useful single-disc survey of a part
of the enormous contribution made by
Herbert Howells to the music of the
English church. The performances are
first class and a fitting testament
to Malcolm Archer’s period in Somerset.
I have enjoyed this disc very much indeed
and I recommend it without reservation.
John Quinn
Rupert Gough (organ) 
